Walking on Water
by Kasumi Todoh
Summary: (Chapter 5 up) Lawrence returns, and he plans to settle the score with Ash, Misty and Pikachu.
1. Default Chapter

  
  


Author's notes: Okay folks, this is my first attempt at writing Pokemon fanfiction, so if I've made any mistakes (and I no doubt will), please reply and I'll try to fix them as best I can.

While I'm not familiar with the actual time-line of the Pokemon series, I'm going to have this story take place about two years after the events of the second movie, The Power of One (Pokemon 2000 in North America). It also takes place sometime during the third season of the TV series (more commonly known as The Johto Journeys in North America), mostly because I prefer Brock over Tracey any day of the week.

I'm also going to be using the "dub" names for all characters, because that's what I'm used to calling them and it's just easier that way.

This story is rated PG for mild language. Pokemon and its characters are copyright of Nintendo and 4Kids Entertainment. Used without permission. All rights reserved.

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Walking on Water

A Pokemon Fanfiction by Kasumi Todoh 

  
  


Prologue

  
  


The sky hung dark with gray clouds, and the occasional flash of lightning and rumble of thunder could be heard. But a large flying structure moved silently through the parting clouds, ignoring it all. The massive airship had the size and appearance of a small medieval castle, complete with rotating cannons mounted on the turrets. Yet there was no door, or any means of entering and exiting, to be seen anywhere. Also, the entire thing appeared to be held up effortlessly and kept moving forward by half a dozen large rotating propellers. If not for the dark clouds that completely shrouded the giant ship, these oddities would have truly been a sight to behold for anyone standing on the ground.

Yet only one man occupied the giant fortress. The reason there were no doors was because he never left. He ate there, slept there, lived there. He preferred it that way. And at that moment, that man was inside, as he always was, riding up a small elevator toward the control centre of the fortress. As he did, one hand ran through his spiky green hair, while the other brushed a tiny piece of dirt from his long purple-and-periwinkle-striped coat.

At last the elevator brought the man to his destination: the command centre of the fortress, a semi-large area situated in the center of the fortress, in between the two turrets, and encircled by a clear, shatter-proof dome to protect it from the elements. Inside the dome, there was no conventional flight equipment to be seen, for the ship was piloted by a computerized auto-pilot twenty-four hours a day. Instead, half a dozen computers formed a half-circle around the man, and, as if sensing his presence, all of them blink to life as he entered.

A computerized voice is heard over an unseen P.A. system, as it addressed the man. "Lawrence, I have located the target. Fifteen miles northeast of the town of Cedarville, and heading east."

"Excellent," Lawrence smiled, at hint of relief mixed with the British accent of his voice. However, he quickly shook off such feelings and became serious, directing his orders toward the computer. "Set a course for there at once."

"Yes, sir," the computer answers. "We will reach the target's co-ordinates in approximately twenty minutes."

"Try to do it in ten." Lawrence then turned and left the control room, stepping back on the elevator once more. As it descended, he became lost in thought.

The events of two years ago were still as clear to him as if they had happened yesterday. Lawrence's collection had been something to be viewed, awed and admired by people around the world, and he had been so close to completing and perfecting it, until it was all destroyed by one meddling brat and the brat's worthless rat Pikachu. Lawrence had captured the great birds Moltres and Zapdos, and almost succeeded in reeling in the biggest prize of all, the legendary Lugia, when he first ran into a young Pokemon trainer named Ash Ketchum. A nobody from a tiny spot on the map called Pallet Town, Lawrence hadn't even given the boy a second thought-something he regretted later. Ash freed Moltres and Zapdos, and ultimately destroyed his beautiful fortress, ruining everything that had taken him years to collect. 

Looking back, Lawrence could see now that this was no ordinary boy. He had a strong will and a legion of friends and highly-trained Pokemon backing him up. The legends even listed him as the Chosen One-"...the earth shall turn to Ash." Lawrence had dismissed it all, but now he knew better. He had spent many months, building a better fortress and restoring his collections, while researching everything he could find on Ash-his friends, enemies, strengths, weaknesses (know your enemy, as they say). Now, after weeks of planning the perfect revenge for his young friend, the time to implement it was finally at hand.

As his blue eyes scanned the dark horizon ahead, Lawrence reflected on how normally such clouds could be a nuisance when flying through mountainous or low-lying areas. Today, however, he welcomed them, for they made the element of surprise work more to his favour. And again, he smiled.

Lawrence had underestimated that boy once. He would not make the same mistake again. ______________________________________________________________________________

  
  


Phew! Now this was a long time coming. I started out co-authoring this 'fic with another girl, but we had a small falling-out, and she ended up erasing the entire two-and-a-half chapters we had written without telling me. So I had to start over, alone and from scratch. However, I'm pretty much back on track, and Chapter 1 should be up pretty soon (or whenever I can find time to write it.)

If this chapter sounded confusing to anyone, my apologies. I'll try to work on that for the next chapter.

Read and review, please!

  
  


Kasumi Todoh.


	2. 

  
  


Walking on Water

A Pokemon fanfiction by Kasumi Todoh

  
  


Chapter 1

  
  


That same day, on the outskirts of the village of Cedarville, the sun was shining brightly, and a warm breeze was rustling the leaves of the trees in a nearby forest, and bending the grass in the field just beyond that. It was like something out of a nature painting, and was so beautiful it seemed that nothing could ruin the peaceful mood this scene portrayed.

Well, almost nothing. 

"Are you sure we're not lost?" Misty shouted to the black-haired boy in the blue coat and jeans that was walking a few steps ahead of her.

"Of course I'm sure," Ash Ketchum snapped as he glanced back at his redheaded sometimes-friend. "I know exactly where we're going."

Misty shifted Togepi, her baby egg Pokemon, to a more comfortable position in her arms. "I've heard that before."

"Now, now." Ash and Misty's other friend, Brock, quickly stepped between the two and pulled a map out of his backpack. "According to this map, just past those trees is Cedarville. We should be able to stop there and stock up on supplies."

"Does this place have a Pokemon gym?" Ash inquired. "Pikachu and I are always ready to get in a little extra training." At that moment, Pikachu, a small yellow mouse Pokemon of the electric type, jumped up on its master's shoulder and nodded with an agreeing, "Pika."

Misty snorted in disgust. "You know, there is more to life than just Pokemon training, Ash."

"Speak for yourself, Misty," Ash taunted. "I haven't seen you doing much training lately, except maybe in your bra size."

"Why, you little...!" Misty rushed towards him, swinging one fist in the air.

"Unfortunately," Brock quickly jumped in again, "Cedarville's just a small little village, so it doesn't have a gym, or anything really special. However, it does have a Pokemon Centre, so at least we can get a place to stay for the night."

"That's good," Misty replied. "I'm not too keen about spending another night outside." Although all three trainers carried sleeping bags for just such a situation, since Misty's main outfit was a yellow tube top, blue denim shorts and red suspenders, she tended to get a little colder than her male counterparts, who both wore t-shirts and long pants. On top of that, Misty had also noticed some dark clouds were gathering ominously on the horizon. "The sooner we get there, the better." 

"Well, what are we waiting for, then?" Ash called out suddenly. "The last one to Cedarville is a rotten egg!" With that, he started running toward the forest, with Pikachu alongside him.

"Hey, Ash, wait for us!" Brock and Misty quickly ran to catch up with their friend.

Then there was a started shout, and all of a sudden, Ash was no longer there. Brock and Misty rushed over to discover Ash and Pikachu laying the bottom of a deep hole, battered and bruised, but none the worse for wear.

"This seems awfully familiar," Misty mused as Brock helped to pull them out of the hole.

As if on cue, laughter suddenly rang across the field, followed by a girl's voice shouting, "Prepare for trouble!"

A second voice, this time a boy, added, "And make it double!"

Then two figures dropped from out of nowhere and landed in front of them. Both were similarly dressed, wearing dark-grey gloves and boots, black undershirts and white shirts with a red letter R over top of that. Yet there were also equally plain differences to the outfits. The girl's gloves and boots were higher than the boy's, reaching her elbows and knees. Her shirt also came up past her bellybutton, and she wore a matching white miniskirt. She had green circle earrings, blue eyes, and long red hair that tipped up at the end in a permanent, gravity-defying curl. 

The boy's shirt was more of a traditional length, and he was wearing white pants instead of a skirt. He also had short blue hair and green eyes. Both the boy and the girl appeared to be in their late teens.

"To protect the world from devastation," the girl announced, striking a pose.

"To unite all peoples within our nation," the boy added, also striking a pose.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

At that moment, a cat Pokemon jumped down on two feet and added, "Meowth, that's right!"

Then there was a loud popping sound, and a large blue blob Pokemon with four legs, two arms and tail with a face on it materialized in front of them. It promptly saluted them, and said, "Waaa-buffet."

Jessie was furious. "I didn't call you, Wabuffet! Get back in your Poke-ball this instant!" With that, she pulled her Poke-ball and pressed the button on the front. A red beam of light shot out, and Wabuffet disappeared back inside the Poke-ball.

The three trainers and Pikachu were not impressed. "Okay, this is getting really old," Ash muttered. 

"So this is just another typical day for you guys, huh?" Misty asked. 

"Well, today we're feeling especially lucky," Meowth stated with a sly grin. "So you'd better kiss your Pikachu goodbye!"

"I guess we'd better send 'em packing again, Pikachu," Ash sighed. Pikachu nodded, then jumped down on all fours in front of Team Rocket, and prepared to fire a Thunder Shock attack at them. 

Then, all of a sudden, it stopped. Its long pointed ears twitched several times, and with a questioning, "Pi?" its gaze went to the sky and stayed there.

"I think Pikachu hears something," Ash said.

A moment later, Misty replied, "Wait. Now I hear something, too. It almost sounds like several helicopters, all coming at once."

"It's coming this way," Brock added, "and coming fast."

"It's getting closer," Ash muttered. "I wonder what it is."

"Hey! Nobody ignores Team Rocket!" James shouted, shaking a fist. When it became clear that was exactly what was happening, he reached for the Poke-ball containing his Weezing.

Until a large shadow descended over them.

What appeared to be a large castle suspended by propellers now hovered in the air directly above them, blocking out the sun. It was huge and awesome-looking, everyone on the ground could do little more than gawk at it. There was a large dome in the middle of the structure and in it stood a man, watching them. Although he was quite far away, Ash and Misty both recognized the spiky green hair and the purple-and-magenta-striped coat he was wearing.

"Lawrence!" they gasped together.

From the fortress control centre, Lawrence looked down at Team Rocket. "Those three are of no use to me. Dispose of them, then proceed to capture the target."

"Yes, sir," the computer answered.

The cannon atop one of the turrets turned and fired a direct shot at where Team Rocket stood. It blasted them high into the air, and one unified cry of, "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off already!" could be heard as they disappeared into the horizon.

Ash snapped out of his little daze just in time to notice that the cannon on the other turret had swung around and was now pointing straight at them.

"Hit the deck!" he shouted. Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu all dove in separate directions as the spot where they'd been standing exploded in a shower of dirt and grass. Pikachu was the first to recover, rolling onto all fours, bolts of electricity crackling first from the orange circles on its cheeks, then from its entire body, and aiming at cannons.

"Pi-ka-chuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!"

But the cannons were too high up and too far away. Even Pikachu's strongest Thunder Bolt couldn't reach them. The next shot blew the startled Pokemon straight into Ash's arms.

"That isn't going to work, Pikachu." He turned to Brock and Misty. "We'll have to make a run for it!"

"Head for the trees!" Brock shouted. "We can lose him in the forest!"

They starting running towards the forest, trying to dodge the explosions that were still being fired at them. Lawrence just smiled. "Don't think I'm going to let you get away that easily."

Just as they were almost to safety, Misty's red shoulder bag slipped off and landed on the ground as she ran. Quickly, she shoved Togepi into Brock's arms, then turned around and ran back.

"Misty, don't!" Brock cried. "It's too dangerous!"

"I have to!" she shouted back. "My Poke-balls are in there!"

At that moment, a small hatch in the bottom of the fortress opened up and three large metal rings dropped down. Misty didn't see them, but Ash and Pikachu did.

"Pikachupi!"

"Misty, look out!"

Their warnings came too late. The first ring grabbed Misty from behind, clamping around her arms and pinning them to her sides. The other two rings quickly followed, latching on to her legs above and below her knees, holding them together. Now completely immobilized, she fell to the ground. Then the rings began to slowly rise into the air again, taking Misty with them.

"Misty!" Ash ran forward and launched himself into the air in a desperate attempt to grab her. But Misty was already too high, and he missed, landing on his face and skidding several inches across the ground.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu quickly ran to its fallen trainer, with Brock right behind, still carrying Togepi. 

"Ash, are you all right?"

Ash couldn't take his eyes of Misty, who struggling to get free and calling out for help as she was pulled into the open hatch and disappeared into the fortress. Then the hatch closed, and the airship lifted off into the clouds and was gone.

"MISTY!!!"

  
  


**************

  
  


From the top of a tall pine tree several miles away, Meowth watched the scene unfold with interest.

"Well, what's going on?" Jessie demanded impatiently as she and James sat perched on another branch below it.

"Looks like that flyin' air castle nabbed one of the twerps," the cat reported.

"Can you see which one got taken?" James asked.

Meowth shook its head. "Nuh-uh. It's too far away to tell."

"This could prove interesting," Jessie mused. "If we play our cards right, we could have Pikachu and those brats falling right into our laps."

"So, we're going to follow them, then?" James asked.

"Of course we are," Jessie snapped back. "Quick, to the balloon!"

At that moment, there was a loud cracking sound, and the branch which Jessie and James were sitting on suddenly became separated from the tree. With a sweatdrop on its forehead, Meowth watched as the two disappeared beneath the lower foliage, screaming all the way.

"Sooner than they think, apparently."

  
  
  
  


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Suspenseful, huh? Betcha couldn't tell who the "target" was really going to be, could you?

Man, I can't believe I finished this chapter in just two days. That's gotta be a new record for me. That's also two updates in one week. Another personal record. Dare I push it even further and try to put out another chapter this week? We shall see.

Also, for those of you may be wondering, there is no village named Cedarville in either the game or the anime. That's one of the only parts I made up.

Read and review, please.

Kasumi Todoh


	3. 

  
  


Author's Note: For anyone who hasn't seen the second Pokemon movie and plans to do so, beware, there are some spoilers in this chapter. Those of you in the abovementioned category might want to a) skip this chapter altogether, b) skim this chapter briefly, or c) go watch the movie first and then read this chapter. Those of you not in the abovementioned category, read on.

  
  


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Walking on Water

A Pokemon fanfiction by Kasumi Todoh

  
  


Chapter 2

  
  


"Retrieval of the target has been successful," the computer reported.

"Good." Lawrence stepped onto the elevator and descended down to the hallway which lead to the 'trophy room', the room which held all the artifacts he'd collected. As Lawrence entered the spacious room, he could see that Misty had already been contained between two large circular disks. Electricity coursed visibly between holes in the top and bottom of the disks, effectively creating the bars for the cage. The cage allowed room for standing and sitting, but little else.

Lawrence smiled as he approached her. "Good afternoon, young lady. I trust you're comfortable?"

"Which is more than I'll be able to say for you," Misty shouted, "if you don't let me outta here!"

"My, my. You're quite the feisty one." Lawrence looked smug. "As for letting you go, well, that would defeat the whole purpose of my revenge against your boyfriend, now wouldn't it?"

"If you're talking about Ash," Misty replied, "he's not my boyfriend!"

"Nevertheless," Lawrence grew serious, "I've observed you long enough to know that he cares enough about you that he'll do whatever I say to prevent you from coming to harm. And I have quite a few things to say about children who tamper with other people's property, as you may recall from our last encounter."

"Your sick scheme was going to destroy the whole world. Someone had to stop you."

"Attitudes like that can get you in a lot of trouble, as I know you've found out many times," Lawrence didn't seem to be perturbed in the slightest at her comment.

Misty turned her head away. "You don't know anything about me, or my friends."

"On the contrary, my dear," Lawrence replied. "You're Misty, youngest of the four Cerulean City gym leaders. You specialize in water Pokemon and one day hope to be the greatest water Pokemon trainer. Your 'boyfriend' is Ash Ketchum, winner of the Orange League trophy and an aspiring Pokemon master. He's from the town of Pallet, and has a Pikachu that follows him everywhere. I even know about that bicycle incident that brought you two together in the first place." This was enough to shut even Misty up. "So you see," Lawrence finished, "I know everything about you."

"Are you going to kill me?" Misty asked in a small voice. This caused Lawrence to smile that unnerving smile once again. 

"You, my dear, are simply bait. And, as any good fisherman knows, live bait usually attract much bigger fish than dead ones." 

With that, Lawrence turned and swept out of the room, leaving Misty alone. The redhead slowly sank down to the bottom of the cage, and shivered.

  
  


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"Well, I'll put out an A.P.B. and tell people to be on the lookout," the Cedarville's Officer Jenny informed Ash and Brock. "And otherwise I'll do everything I can to locate your missing friend. But unless she or Lawrence contacts you somehow, or someone happens to see this flying castle, I don't think there's much we can do at this point."

"Thanks a lot anyway, Officer Jenny," Brock replied, bowing to her as she mounted her motorcycle and rode away. Brock was so worried about Misty that he didn't notice how pretty she was, the way he normally did.

After the fortress had taken Misty away, the two boys, along with Pikachu and Togepi, had gone straight to Cedarville and informed the police of what had happened. Now they were in the lobby of the Pokemon Center, where they planned to spend what would surely be a long and sleepless night.

Ash hadn't said a word since the kidnapping, and Pikachu was clearly looking worried about its trainer's current mental state. Then again, Brock reflected, so am I. Brock was well aware of the animosity between Ash and Misty, but they had known each other longer than he had, so he supposed it was only natural that Ash would be taking this hard. Still...

Finally, Brock went over and sat down beside Ash. "So..." Exactly what could he say at a time like this? "We will find Misty, Ash. Somehow we'll get her back. I know we will."

"I couldn't save her,"Ash muttered suddenly, in a tone so low that Brock almost didn't hear it. "Lawrence kidnapped Misty to get back at me, I just know it. Yet with all my Pokemon knowledge and experience, I still couldn't save her. Some friend and master I'm turning out to be."

Brock was about to say something to this, when Pikachu responded first, with a sudden Thunder Shock that caught both boys by surprise. Brock barely managed to jump out of the way in time, but Ash took the full hit. He landed on the floor but quickly got up again, his clothes singed and smoking.

"Pikachu, what was that for?" Ash demanded angrily.

"Pikapi, pikachupipipikachu, pipipika, chupika, pikapika, chu!" the small creature answered. 

Ash listened intently, before asking, "So you're saying that Misty wouldn't want me to be sitting around sulking and feeling sorry for myself, and that instead I should be focussing on how to find her?"

Pikachu nodded. Ash looked from it to Brock to Togepi, and finally smiled.

"You're right, Pikachu. Thanks."

"So just who is this Lawrence guy anyway?" Brock asked, "and why does he seem to have it in for you so much?"

"Well," Ash began, "do you remember a couple of years ago, when the weather started getting crazier and crazier?"

"Sure, I remember it," Brock replied. "I was working for Professor Ivy at the time, and all the Pokemon in her lab started going crazy too. Then she went to the Shamuti Islands with Professor Oak to investigate, and when she came back she told me stuff about a near-cataclysm and a strange new Pokemon that had stopped it. But that was about all she said."

"The reason the weather went all crazy," Ash explained, "was because Lawrence had captured the great birds Moltres and Zapdos as part of some weird Pokemon collection."

"That's awful!" Brock exclaimed.

"Because the Moltres and Zapdos were no longer around, the balance of nature was disrupted," Ash went on. "That why things with close ties to nature, like the weather and the Pokemon, got out of control.

"Misty, Tracey and I were travelling through the area at the time, and along with a new friend named Melody, we accidentally stumbled onto Lawrence's plan. We managed to free Zapdos and Moltres, and then we helped the legendary Pokemon guardian Lugia-the strange new Pokemon Professor Ivy talked about-to restore things to the way they should be. But in the process, we crashed Lawrence's original flying fortress, and then it got blown up, along with all his stuff, I suppose. Plus thanks to us, he lost Moltres and Zapdos, as well as Articuno and Lugia, who he was also trying to capture for his collection."

"And so he's holding you responsible for all that," Brock finished the story, "and I guess now he wants more than an apology or repayment of the damages."

Ash nodded. "I guess it was too much to hope that he'd gone down with his ship. Now the question remains, how are we gonna deal with him?" 

"The first thing we gotta do is find out where he's keeping Misty," Brock replied. "Then we'll figure out a way to deal with Lawrence."

As if on cue, a Spearow suddenly flew in an open window and landed right beside them. Both boys and Pokemon moved cautiously away, but the bird didn't attack. It just stood there, as if waiting patiently for something. It was Pikachu that first noticed a rolled-up piece of paper that was tied to the Spearow's leg, and quickly pointed it out to Ash.

Trying to attract as little attention as possible, Ash cautiously approached the Spearow, although it made no move whatsoever, untied the string, and unrolled the paper. With Brock and Pikachu looking over his shoulder, Ash read what was written on it. 

Attention Ash Ketchum,

As you are certainly well aware, I have your girlfriend safely tucked away on board my ship. Unless you want my ship to become her permanent home, meet me at midnight tonight in the field where we met earlier. Come alone and tell no one, especially the police. We wouldn't want any innocent hostages to get caught up in the crossfire, now would we?

Until then,

Lawrence.

"Well, that sounds like a trap if I ever heard one," Brock replied.

"It sure does." Ash stood up, a look of grim determination on his face. "And that's why I'm gonna face Lawrence alone."

  
  
  
  


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I know, that's kind of a sudden place to end the chapter, but I was tired and hadn't really planned for a proper ending, so when I got to the last sentence I decided that was as good as any. I think it adds to the suspense, anyhow. 

Looking back at the spoiler warning which I posted at the beginning, I realized it probably would've been better to put it back at the beginning of the prologue with all the other stuff I wrote, since there were spoilers there too. Oh well, too late now. Then again, maybe there are those of you who like spoilers. Personally, they make me want to writhe in pain and perhaps kill anyone who happens to mention them, but that's just me.

I was planning to go on hiatus for a while to work on the book I'm writing, and to plan for future chapters of this 'fic. But now I'm seriously considering putting out one more chapter between now and then. So keep checking in, and reviews are also welcome.

Until then.

Kasumi


	4. Dangerous Game

  
  


Walking on Water

A Pokemon Fanfiction by Kasumi Todoh

  
  


Chapter 3

A Dangerous Game

  
  


"Alone?" Brock repeated. "Ash, have you gone insane?"

"I have to," replied Ash. "I won't have anyone else getting in trouble because of me. Besides," he added, "if Misty manages to escape somehow, you've gotta be here in case she comes here looking for us."

Brock was quiet for a few moments, before deciding, "All right, I'll stay here. I'm just taking this opportunity to express how much I don't like this idea."

"Express all you like. I'm not really in the mood to listen."

At this point, Pikachu jumped down and ran to Ash's side, clearly intent on coming with him, but Ash said, "No, Pikachu. That applies to you too."

"Pika..." Pikachu started to protest.

"I need you to stay here and protect everyone," Ash told the small Pokemon, "in case Lawrence tries anything while I'm gone. You've got to promise me you'll keep everyone safe until I get back. Promise?"

Pikachu still looked unsure, but it nodded anyway.

"Good. Hopefully, I won't be gone long, and I'll bring Misty back with me. That's a definite promise. Wish me luck, guys."

With that, Ash turned and walked out of the Pokemon Centre. He didn't look back. Brock and Pikachu both watched as the doors closed behind him, and Pikachu let out a rather mournful "Pika-chuuuu..."

  
  


****************

  
  


By that night, the storm clouds had passed, so despite the fact that it was pitch dark outside, the field and the area surrounding it were quite well lit up by a full moon and a clear, cloudless sky.

Ash sat alone at the spot where he was supposed to meet Lawrence. He didn't like the idea of leaving Pikachu and Brock behind any more than they liked it, but somehow he knew he had made the right choice. He wouldn't be responsible for any more innocent victims.

Ash studied his watch by the light of the full moon. Five minutes to midnight. It wouldn't be long now.

A sudden rustling in the grass behind him made Ash jump to his feet. His first thought was of a wild Pokemon, and he frantically looked around for something to scare it off with. He was unable to anything, however, and that turned out to be a good thing, for the Pokemon that came trotting out of the tall grass was none other than Pikachu.

Ash looked at Pikachu, and then at Brock, who also making his way through the tall grass, still carrying Togepi. "I thought I told you two not to come," Ash said.

"We changed our minds," Brock replied. "No harm in that. C'mon Ash, you didn't seriously think we were going to let you take on Lawrence alone, did you?"

Ash was about to reply, when suddenly the spot where they were standing was lit up by a giant spotlight. The flying fortress had returned, this time hovering quite close to the ground. As they struggled to see past the blinding light, Lawrence's voice could suddenly be heard over a loudspeaker.

"I'm glad to see you got my note, Mr. Ketchum. However, I distinctly recall telling you to come alone."

"Ash and Misty are my friends too!" Brock answered, again before Ash could reply. "Where they go, I go!"

"Pi-ka!" Pikachu shouted in agreement.

"Very well." Rather than waste time arguing, Lawrence opened a small hatch in the bottom of the ship and a ladder extended down to the ground. Pikachu climbed up on Ash's shoulder, and Brock put Togepi in his backpack, and the four ascended up into the fortress. Once they were inside, they found themselves in front of a small elevator. With nowhere else to go, the small group stepped onto it, and it took them up one floor and stopped in front of a long hallway leading to a single door at the end.

"I guess this is our stop." Brock replied, noting that the elevator wouldn't go any further, up or down. 

Ash nodded. Slowly, they walked down the hall and pushed open the unlocked door. They found themselves in a large room filled with several strange artifacts, and a cage, with Misty still in it.

"Ash! Brock!" she cried.

"Misty!"

"Pikachupi!"

The two boys and Pikachu ran over to the cage. Brock took Togepi out of his backpack and handed it through the bars to Misty, who hugged the baby Pokemon close. Togepi was clearly overjoyed to see Misty too. 

Then the joyous reunion was interrupted as they were all nearly knocked to the floor by a sudden heavy feeling, like that of an elevator going up.

"The fortress must be taking off," Brock said.

"Very observant of you," Lawrence's voice suddenly came over the loudspeaker again. "I simply thought I'd move us to a place where we're less likely to be disturbed."

"What's with all the hiding?" Ash demanded, shaking a fist. "Why don't you just come out and show yourself?"

"Because I don't believe that's necessary yet," Lawrence replied. "First, I thought I'd introduce the rules of the tests. You'd be wise to listen to them."

"Tests?" Ash asked. "What tests?"

"The tests you are to undergo to determine whether or not you are worthy to be spared. It's really quite simple. If you pass all four tests, you and your friends will be free to go. If you fail, all of you will be sentenced to live out the rest of your lives as my prisoners on this ship. Same goes if you refuse this challenge."

"Well, since it's obvious I have no choice," Ash replied, "I accept your challenge. What do I have to do?"

"This rules are also quite simple," Lawrence explained. "I have hidden four items from my collection in four rooms of this ship. You have find and retrieve them, and believe me, that's not going to be as easy as it sounds. There are also many booby-traps and other things in place to prevent you from reaching them. However, I don't believe in leaving my opponents at a total disadvantage." 

"Gee, I'm so glad," Ash muttered under his breath.

"You will be allowed to keep and use your Pokemon to help you in all areas of the tests," Lawrence went on. "However, interference from your two human friends is forbidden and will result in instant failure. Understood?"

Ash nodded. "I understand."

"Good." With that, a large hole suddenly opened up underneath him and Pikachu, and the two disappeared with a startled shout.

"Ash!" Misty and Brock both shouted, and Brock dashed towards the hole. But it quickly closed up, leaving them alone in the room.

"We have to do something, Brock," Misty cried. "I just know Lawrence has fixed the tests so that Ash can't possibly win!"

"That might be a problem," he replied, rattling the door knob. "Lawrence's locked us in."

  
  
  
  


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Whee! I'm finally finished Chapter 3! And it only gets tougher from here on in. That's why, as I mentioned in the last chapter, I'm going on hiatus for a while to plan where I'm going next with this story and how exactly these tests are going to run. Believe it or not, I'm making most of this up as I go along. But fear not, I shall return. You can count on it.

Also, I'm toying with the idea of putting titles on my chapters. I thought I'd try it out with this chapter and if people like it, I'll go back and put titles on my other chapters, too, as well as any forthcoming ones. So please read and review!

Kasumi Todoh. 


	5. The First Test

  
  


Walking on Water

A Pokemon Fanfiction by Kasumi Todoh

  
  


Chapter 4

The First Test

  
  


Nearby, and around the same time, a giant hot-air balloon in the shape of a Meowth's head, paw and tail was gliding silently through the empty night. In the front of the balloon, Meowth was looking left, right and forward, using a pair of high-powered binoculars. Finally, it spotted what it was searching for straight ahead, although still some distance away.

"Flyin' fortress ho!" it shouted.

The only response was a couple of loud snores from behind it. Meowth turned around to see that Jessie and James had both dozed off in separate corners of the balloon basket.

"Hey, wake up!" Meowth shouted, jumping on each one and shaking them as hard as it could. Yet this had little to no effect, and the two continued to sleep away. Finally, Meowth pulled out its claws, and raked them both across the face. At last, that move got the desired results.

"What the hell did you do that for, Meowth?" Jessie demanded.

"Yeah, what's the big idea?" James added.

"I just t'ought you might like t' know," Meowth replied calmly, "dat while you two were deep in dreamland, I located de fortress. It's straight ahead o' us."

Jessie grabbed the binoculars. "Meowth's right. That means Pikachu and the twerps are probably there, too. We just have to get them before that Lawrence guy does."

"But how are we gonna get over dere?" Meowth asked. "If we get too close, he'll most likely see us an' blow us t' smithereens again." 

"Not to worry," James replied. "Team Rocket always has a plan. Jessie, if you will."

Quickly, Jessie bent down and came up with what looked like a typical rocket launcher, except that instead of a rocket, the rubber end of a toilet plunger protruded from the muzzle. "Introducing the TR Ship Snarer 3000," she proclaimed proudly.

A teardrop formed on Meowth's head. "Dat just looks like a bazooka wit' a giant suction dart on de end." 

"Who asked for your opinion?" Jessie snapped, whacking Meowth over the head with the end of launcher. "This'll work. Just watch."

With that, she hoisted the TR Ship Snarer 3000 up on one shoulder and pulled the trigger. There was a small explosion, and the plunger, with a rope tied to it, shot out, arced through the air and attached itself firmly to the outside wall of the fortress. Jessie tied the other end of the rope to the basket, gave a couple tugs to make sure it was secure, and then flashed a thumbs-up signal to James.

"Now, let us rise to the occasion," James said, and turned up the flames inside the balloon. The balloon slowly began to rise higher into the air, until the rope was sloping downward. 

Jessie handed a wooden clothes hanger to Meowth and James. "Now all we have to do is just rappel down to the ship and let gravity do the rest." 

Meowth peered over the edge of the basket. "It's de gravity part dat worries me."

"If you don't get going," Jessie shouted menacingly, "you won't just be worrying about gravity, you'll be experiencing it, firsthand! Now move it!"

****************

  
  


Ash and Pikachu slid down a long tunnel, until they came out with a thud what appeared to be a simulation of some kind. Both sat up and looked around. All around them was waving green pasture, dotted here and there with flowers. The ceiling above was a cloudy sky blue.

"This doesn't look so bad," Ash muttered, looking around.

"The landscape which you are seeing is all just a holographic image," Lawrence's voice came over the loudspeaker again. "Now instead of admiring the scenery, you might want instead to listen what I am about tell you. Hidden somewhere in this beauteous landscape is a statue of the Great Guardian, Lugia. Within the statue is a key which you will need to get to the next room. Your job is to find the statue. That's all the help you'll get from me. The rest is up to you. Good luck, you'll need it."

With that, the loudspeaker cut off. "Alright, Pikachu," Ash said. "We know what we have to do. Let's find that statue."

They got up, but quickly realized they had no idea which way to go. All that could be seen in any direction was grass, grass and more grass. Finally, the two just decided to pick a direction-north-and start walking. 

After a few minutes, a sudden movement off to the left caught Pikachu's eye. It motioned to Ash by pulling on his pant leg and pointing.

"Whatcha see, Pikachu?" Ash asked. 

Pikachu ran over to where it thought it had seen something moving, but there was nothing there. It searched all around, trying to locate some sign of whatever had moved, but the field was empty and still. Finally, after a couple lingering moments, Pikachu returned to Ash's side, who just smiled. 

"I don't think you're going to find anything, except maybe some plants..." 

He was suddenly interrupted by an explosion of dirt that shot up right in front of them. A large shape appeared, rising out of the ground, into the air, and landing at their feet. The creature that stood before them was at least seven feet high. It had the long ears and hind legs of a rabbit Pokemon, but also had a row of spikes rising off its back and a fur coat of contrasting black and red. Its front legs were small in comparison to the rest of its body, but had eight powerful claws for digging through the dirt. The creature glared at the them with glowing red eyes and opened its mouth in a low growl, revealing two rows of spiked teeth.

"What the hell is that?" Ash muttered. He reached for Dexter, his Pokedex, and flipped it open in hopes getting some information. 

The results were not encouraging. "Unknown Pokemon," Dexter stated. "No information is available at this time."

"Damn. How I am supposed to battle this Pokemon if I don't know what it is or what its weaknesses are?" However, Ash's training instincts quickly took over. "Okay, it appeared out of the dirt, so it must be a ground type. Which means I'll need a flying type if I want to have an advantage." He quickly pulled out a Pokeball, pressed the release button, and threw it, shouting, "Knoctowl! I choose you!"

The ball landed on the ground, bounced twice and opened. A beam of light shot out into the air, and from it appeared the tan-coloured owl Pokemon, flapping its wings to stay aloft. 

"Knoctowl! Use Hypnosis!" Ash shouted. Knoctowl flew out in front of the giant rabbit so it was looking the creature in the eyes, and then its own eyes started to glow. Yet nothing happened. The monster was totally unaffected by the Hypnosis attack. 

"That can't be!" Ash cried. "Something's not right here."

Just then, the giant monster used its powerful hind legs to leap into the air, straight toward Knoctowl.

"Knoctowl, dodge it!"

Flapping its wings, the bird rose higher, out of the range of the monster's Tackle attack. It landed on all fours on the ground below.

"Better use a different approach," Ash called out. "Knoctowl, try a Whirlwind attack!"

Knoctowl flapped both wings, blowing several large gusts of wind which quickly formed into a small tornado. The tornado dropped down onto the rabbit, lifting it clean off the ground and spinning it around in the air. Then the winds died out and dropped the creature back to the ground with a loud thud and an even louder crunch. When it got up again, Ash could see a large chunk was missing from the monster's shoulder. Metal gears and a few coloured wires, some of them sparking, could be seen through the hole.

Suddenly Ash understood why Dexter couldn't get a reading on this creature, and why Knoctowl's Hypnosis didn't affect it. "That's no Pokemon! It's a robot!"

Suddenly realizing it was wounded and at a disadvantage, the robot opted to retreat, burrowing back underground. Within seconds it was gone. Ash and Pikachu waited several minutes, but it did not reappear, so finally he recalled Knoctowl back into its Pokeball. 

"I guess that's that. We'd better get going before it decides to come back."

With that, Ash and Pikachu continued on, now half expecting the ground under their feet to give way at any second. Although this did not happen, it added a sense of urgency to their mission. 

Ash was busy trying to keep an eye out for anything resembling a statue of Lugia, that he didn't notice the edge of the cliff until he nearly fell off it. Looking ahead, he could see a dense forest on the other side. But a long, wide strip of seemingly bottomless canyon separated the field part from the forest part. 

"Great." Ash looked down at Pikachu. "How are we supposed to cross that?"

Pikachu looked around a quickly spotted the answer, pointing out a rope bridge a short distance away. However, when they approached the bridge, that answer became less of a certainty. Several of wooden planks were clearly rotted, and the rope was frayed in a couple places. The thing clearly hadn't been used in years, if at all.

"Well, if that's the only way across, then I guess we have no choice." Ash looked at his Pokemon again. "Pikachu, you go first. Since you're smaller, you'll probably have an easier time getting across."

Pikachu hesitated, but when it saw that Ash wasn't going to go until it did, it quickly ran across the creaking bridge to the safety of the other side. Then Ash started across. The process was slow moving, as the bridge sagged under his weight and the boards creaked louder in protest with every step. When he was almost halfway there, Ash stepped on a rotted board that broke under his leg, causing him to lose his balance and grab the ropes for support. 

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried out in concern, seeing its trainer in trouble.

Amazingly and miraculously, the ropes held, allowing Ash to pull himself back up and continue on. He had just about reached the other side when he suddenly heard a loud snap and felt the bridge start to drop from under him. The weakened ropes, strained to their fullest capacity, had finally given out. Frantically, Ash jumped, grabbing the edge of the cliff with both hands and hanging on until he could scramble onto more solid ground, with a little help from Pikachu. Together they watched as what was left of the bridge tumble down and disappear into the darkness of the canyon.

"Well," said Ash to Pikachu with a weak smile, "I guess we won't be going back, at least not that way."

Surprisingly enough, they found a path leading into the forest. The fear of getting lost, the uncertainty of what else might be out there and the treacherous-looking terrain on either side quickly made them decide against going off directly into the woods, and they decided to stick to the path. As they ventured deeper and deeper into the forest, the sun was all but blotted out by the thick canopy of trees overhead. It was eerily quiet, with none of the usual chirping of birds or buzzing of insects.

Finally, Ash and Pikachu came to an apparent dead end. Sitting in the middle of the path was a small shrine made entirely of tree branches. On a shelf in the middle of the shrine was a small golden statue in the shape of Lugia, the seas' great guardian.

"That must be the item we're looking for," Ash exclaimed. He started to run toward it, but then the ground started to shake.

"Oh no! Not again!"

He was knocked backwards as the ground erupted and the giant rabbit once again appeared between them and the shrine. Ash looked at its powerful hind legs and realized it had probably cleared the canyon and made it over to their side with one jump. 

This time the creature wasted no time in attacking, lowering its head and pointing the spikes on its back at Ash and Pikachu. The spikes glowed and then shot a laser beam from each one. Pokemon and trainer barely managed to jump out of the way in time. 

Quickly Ash reached for the Pokeball containing his Knoctowl, but then he noticed the electrical sparks still shooting out from the robot's damaged shoulder. This gave him an idea. 

"Pikachu, use your Thunder Bolt to overload the robot's circuits!"

Pikachu nodded, and unleashed its strongest Thunder Bolt attack directly at the giant rabbit, catching it in a powerful electric current. Within seconds, small explosions began to wrack the robot's body, followed by larger ones.

"Keep it up, Pikachu!" Ash encouraged. "It's working!" 

The small yellow Pokemon responded by pouring even more electricity onto the metallic monster's now incapacitated frame. Finally, the robot could take no more, and was blown to smithereens, partly from Pikachu's attack, and partly from its own systems overloading.

Ash stepped over the burning remains and grabbed the Lugia statue from the shrine. Almost immediately a secret compartment opened up and a key dropped into his gloved hand.

Instantly the shrine, the trees, the canyon and the field behind them all disappeared to reveal a large, yet empty, grey-walled room with a door in front of them. 

"Impressive." Lawrence's voice came over the loudspeaker again, booming off the large metal walls. "That test was the easiest, so I'm not surprised you made it through so quickly. A note of warning, though, with each test the difficulty level doubles, so the next one will be twice as hard. Are you ready to back out now?"

"No way!" Ash shouted. "I'm staying in this thing 'til the end!"

"I had a feeling you might say that," Lawrence replied casually. "Very well. Take the key you have in your hand and insert it into the lock on the door in front of you. That will take you to the next level."

Ash walked forward, placed the key in the lock and turned it to the right. The door opened easily. The young trainer, along with his Pikachu, then strode purposely into the next part of their test, the door slamming shut behind them.

  
  
  
  


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Phew! I finally, finally finished this chapter! I don't even remember when I started this chapter, which is kinda sad, really. I took some time off from this 'fic to finish a chapter of a book I'm writing, and start another one (chapter, I mean, not book). Then I was forced to take more time off when writer's block fell on me, snuffing out my inspiration right after the part with Team Rocket. But enough with the excuses.

I would like to especially thank my friend Alicia, whose suggestions pulled this chapter, and a lot of my inspiration, out from under the writer's block, performed CPR, and administered the defibrilator paddles on it. I am forever in her debt.

Anyway, I don't know when I'll have Chapter 5 up. It could be sooner (though even I'm starting to doubt it), or it could be later (more likely). It will, however, be coming eventually, so just be patient, folks, and don't sue me. Please.

Kasumi Todoh. 

^_^ 


	6. The Second Test

  
  


Walking on Water

A Pokemon fanfiction by Kasumi Todoh

  
  


Chapter 5

The Second Test

  
  


As Ash and Pikachu entered the second room in the test, they were nearly knocked back by a wave of intense heat. Before them was a large cavern, at the bottom of which flowed a river of glowing orange lava. The heat from the lava felt like an oven, emanating throughout the room as it reflected off the stone walls. The lava also seemed to be the only source of illumination in the room, and through its flickering orange glow Ash could make out the black mouth of another cave on the other side, as well as several tall platforms (obviously meant to be used as stepping stones) rising out of the river below.

"This is probably another one of Lawrence's illusions," Ash muttered, almost to himself. Pikachu overheard him, though, and nodded in agreement.

"Quite perceptive," came a now-familiar voice. "The object you must find in this test is called the Flame Staff. Once you find it, only then will you be able to leave." Then the voice cut out again, leaving the trainer and Pokemon alone.

Ash looked around quickly. "Well, I don't see anything resembling a Flame Staff on this side, Pikachu, and I doubt Lawrence would make it that easy anyway. So it must be on the other side of the lava."

They approached the platforms, each one only about a foot across and easily three feet apart. Ash swallowed hard, then looked at Pikachu. "Hold on tight, and don't look down, okay?"

Pikachu nodded, climbed up on Ash's shoulder, and clung to him for dear life. Ash took a few steps back to get a running start, then charged toward the first platform and, reaching the edge of the cliff, leaped into the air. He landed on the platform on one leg, waving his arms frantically for a few seconds before regaining his balance. The second platform was reached in a similar fashion, followed by the next one and the one after that.

They were about halfway across when suddenly a loud rumble shook the room. The platforms began swaying. Ash glanced back to see the ones behind him start to crumble and collapse, breaking up into large chunks that disappeared into the lava below. The one directly behind them broke off near its base and started toppling towards them, like a tree that had just been chopped down. 

"Hang on, Pikachu!" Quickly Ash was forced to jump for his life, and for his Pokemon's life as well, barely managing to land safely on the next pillar. He was unable to stop to catch his breath, though, for the pillars were now falling like giant dominos, and seconds later they had jump again. Finally, leaping across the last four platforms in quick succession, Ash and Pikachu lay sprawled and panting in front of the mouth of the cave on the other side. They watched as the last platform crashed into the wall beneath them and crumbled into the lava.

"I guess that's that," Ash said finally. "Now, let's find that staff."

After the two of them disappeared into the darkness of the cave, the lava below suddenly began to stir and bubble. Five dark shapes jumped up out of the bright hot river, and landed at the base of cave. Dripping lava onto the floor, they silently filed into the cave after the unsuspecting duo.

  
  


************ 

  
  


"All this walking is killing my feet," Jessie complained loudly. "How can something that looked so small from the outside be so big on the inside?"

After climbing across the rope from the balloon to the castle, Team Rocket had managed to find a way inside rather easily. Once inside, however, finding Ash and Pikachu, or anyone else for that matter, turned out to be easier said than done. They been wandering around inside for the past hour without seeing anyone, Pokemon or human.

James tried the knob on the next door they approached. "This one appears to be unlocked. Let's look in here. If nothing else, maybe this one leads to the kitchen where we can get something to eat."

The two humans and Meowth stepped into the darkened room, and James quickly a light switch. Light flooded the room, revealing several ancient artifacts, meticulously restored and mounted on shelves, walls and golden pillars. 

"It's almost like a museum, or a really pricey antique store, in here," Jessie remarked, walking amongst the different items and looking at each one.

"Hey, you jus' gave me a great idea," Meowth said, its face lighting up the way it usually did when the prospect of making money was involved. "Let's steal dis junk and sell it! I'm sure there's plenty of museums an' antique stores dat would be willin' to pay a pretty penny for dese relics!"

"Hmm," Jessie pondered. "Whoever owns this stuff did leave the door unlocked, so that must mean it's free for the taking. Well, their loss is our gain. Our financial gain, that is."

"All right then!" James whipped out a large beige sack, grabbed the item closest to him, a golden, jewel-encrusted goblet, and dropped it inside.

No sooner had he lifted the goblet off its shelf, when suddenly a blinding red light started flashing and a small door opened up on one side of the room. Out rolled a three-foot-tall metallic robot. It moved between them and the exit and spoke to them. 

"Hello. I am head of Lawrence's security personnel, Unit # 00269."

"This oversized garbage bin is the head of Lawrence's security personnel?" James laughed. "Oh, please. Back home, I used to play with toy robots that were bigger than this thing." 

"Please state your name and the password," Unit # 00269 politely asked.

"I think that's our cue," Jessie replied. Then she struck a pose. "If you're prepared for trouble..."

"Then you might as well make it double," James finished, striking a pose.

"To protect the world from devastation..."

"To unite all peoples within our nation..."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love..."

"To extend our reach to the stars above..."

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket, blasting off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth! Dat's right!"

Unit # 00269 was quiet as it absorbed this information. Finally it said, "Invalid password. Conclusion: theft in progress."

"That's right, you giant sardine can," Jessie shot back at it. "We're taking your precious artifacts and selling them to get rich, and there's nothing you can do to stop us!"

"Initiating intruder elimination program."

The robot raised one of its arms, and from it a small laser shot out and neatly sliced James' sack in half. The goblet fell to the floor along with the bottom half of the sack. Then it raised its other arm and fired a second laser, this time making a small crater in the floor in front of their feet.

At this point, Team Rocket decided that a strategic, and very high-speed, retreat was in order. Miraculously they managed to get around the robot without getting shot or sliced to bits, then tore out of the room and took off down the hall, Unit # 00269 still in hot pursuit and firing at them every few seconds. 

"Nice going James, trying to steal that goblet!" Jessie shouted as they ran. "Now you've really pissed it off!"

"Me?!" James cried. "It was Meowth's idea! Besides, I wasn't the one that called it a sardine can!"

"I t'ink it's best," Meowth panted, "if we all stopped arguin' an' saved our energy for runnin'!"

"I think," James said, "this is where we say, 'Looks like Team Rocket's running away again!'"

  
  


************

  
  


"Seems like we've been walking through this tunnel for ages," Ash muttered, even though there was no real way to know long he and Pikachu had been in there. The cave entrance was now so far behind them that the only light from the lava had become a very dim glow. And yet, he noticed, no matter how many steps they took forward, the glow never seemed to totally diminish, almost as if it was following them. However, despite the little light they had, it had become very hard to see the cave around them, and next to impossible to tell what lay ahead.

"We could be walking around in circles for all we-" WHAM! Ash never got to finish his sentence, for at that moment, the tunnel came an abrupt end, causing him to walk face first into a stone wall.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried out in concern, running to its fallen trainer. "Pi-ka-chu?"

"Yeah, I'm okay, Pikachu," Ash replied. Getting to his feet, he examined the stone wall by the light of the distant lava, which suddenly seemed to be getting brighter, although he failed to notice it. 

"Great, it's looks like we've hit a dead end, Pikachu. Now what are we supposed to do?"

Pikachu, who had been secretly wondering how thick that rock was and whether or not it could blast through with its Thunder Bolt, suddenly had the feeling that they were being watched. It glanced back the way they'd come, just for a moment, then did a double take. And suddenly it was pulling on Ash's pant leg and shouting, "Pikapi! Pikapi!"

"Huh? What's wrong, Pikachu?" Ash turned around and looked down at his Pokemon, and then forward in the direction in which was pointing. Then his eyes widened as he saw what Pikachu was looking at. 

About fifteen feet away and moving slowly towards them were five ominous-looking creatures. They sort of looked like Grimer, except that they were almost as tall as Ash himself, they were covered in dripping lava, and each had two large, glowing circles for eyes. They were also giving off an orange glow which Ash now realized was what really been lighting up the cave the entire time.

"What the hell are those things?" he shouted, flipping Dexter open and pointing it at the advancing group.

After a very long minute, Dexter answered, "Unknown Pokemon. No data available."

More of Lawrence's toys, I'll bet, Ash thought. With the creatures in front of them, and the wall behind them, there was nowhere for him and Pikachu to run. Their only option was to fight.

"I guess we'll have to battle our way out of this one, Pikachu." Pikachu nodded, the sparks already crackling from its cheeks. 

"Use Thunder Shock, Pikachu!"

With a loud, "Pi-ka-chuuuuuuuuuuu!", a large yellow bolt of electricity shot out from Pikachu's body and headed straight for the lava creature in the middle of the pack. The being swiftly and immediately flattened itself into a large puddle on the floor, Pikachu's Thunder Shock whizzing harmlessly over its head and disappearing down the tunnel behind it. It then grew and reshaped itself into its original form, and continued moving forward.

"No way!" Ash cried. Pikachu looked equally surprised.

The creature then retaliated by raising one arm and shooting off balls of molten lava straight at them. The other four behind it proceeded to follow its example. Both Ash and Pikachu ducked as the lava balls hit the rock wall behind them instead, blasting it apart in a terrific explosion. Ash got to his feet again, only to discover there was now a large gaping hole in the wall behind them. Furthermore, there appeared to be another room on the other side!

"That must be the way outta here. C'mon, Pikachu!"

However, as soon as they took a step towards the hole, another ball of lava hit the wall next to them, indicating that Lawrence's lava creatures had no intention of letting them get that far.

"I guess we'll have to take care of these guys first." With that, Ash grabbed a PokeBall from his belt, pressed the release button, and threw it. "Chikorita! I choose you!"

"Chika!" Out popped a small green four-legged Pokemon with a giant leaf on the top of its head. It ran over to Ash and immediately started rubbing its head against his leg as a sign of pure affection.

"Not now, Chikorita!" Ash cried. "We've got work to do!"

Sensing the urgency in his voice, Chikorita quickly became serious and turned around to face its opponents, ready to attack.

"All right, Chikorita! Attack with Razor Leaf!"

"Chika!" Chikorita spun the leaf on its head around in circles, unleashing several razor-sharp leaves that spun toward the group of still moving creatures. They responded by shooting more lava ball at the oncoming leaves. The leaves instantly burst into flame and dropped to the ground, still smouldering.

"That's okay, Chikorita!" Ash called, seeing his Pokemon falter as its attack failed. "Try a Vine Whip instead!"

Chikorita looked at Ash and nodded. Two long vines extended from both sides of its neck, and shot toward the middle creature. Only when they touched the being's body, the vines themselves burst into flame! With its vines on fire, Chikorita panicked, and started frantically running around in circles. This only made the flames worse, until Ash came to its rescue by shouting "Chikorita, return!" and recalling it back to the safety of its PokeBall.

Okay, so grass types don't work against these things, Ash thought. Which means I can't use Bulbasaur either. Knoctowl's still resting from that last battle, and Cindaquil's a fire type, and these things are practically made of fire, so I don't think it'll be able to do any damage either. That just leaves Pikachu and...of course! Why didn't I think of that sooner?

Dodging another ball of lava, Ash pulled out a different PokeBall, pressed the release button and threw it, calling out at the same time, "Totodile! I choose you!"

This time a little blue lizard appeared in front of them, and happily started dancing.

"Totodile! Use Water Gun on the leader in the middle!" Ash shouted.

Obediently, the Totodile turned around and a massive stream of water burst from its mouth. The Water Gun attack arced through the air and blasted the middle lava creature, who didn't have time to react. It tried to move forward, but the pressure of all that water held it in place.

A huge cloud of steam obscured the tunnel, but Ash said anyway, "Keep it up Totodile! It's working!" 

In response Totodile added on more water to the assault. Finally, when the attack finished and the steam subsided, all that remained of the creature was a black, steaming statue, which for the first time was unable to move. 

It worked, Ash thought. All that water cooled it off, and when lava cools, it hardens. Aloud, he said, "All right Pikachu, hit that statue again with your Thunder Bolt!"

"Pi-ka-chuuuuuuuuuuuu!"

Since the lava being could no longer move, it couldn't protect itself. The Thunder Bolt smashed it to smithereens.

The four remaining creatures kept moving forward, and were now only about five feet away, but without a leader to follow, they seemed unable to attack. Totodile and Pikachu took them out one by one, using the same strategy as before. Totodile hardened them with Water Gun, and Pikachu destroyed them with Thunder Bolt. In only a few minutes, all five lava creatures had been reduced to a large pile of blackened, steaming pieces.

"Another victory goes to us!" Ash cheered raising one hand in a V.

"Pipikachu!" Pikachu added, copying Ash's victory sign. 

Then Ash noticed his Totodile collapse out of sheer exhaustion, and recalled it. "You did a great job, Totodile. You deserve a long rest. Now let's just see what's hidden behind this rock here."

He and Pikachu peered into the hole. There, sitting on a small ledge, was what appeared to be a long gold sceptre, like the kind royalty would hold. A large ruby adorned the top of it, while several smaller rubies circled the round part underneath.

Reaching in, Ash grabbed the sceptre's handle and pulled it out. As he did, the big ruby on top jiggled loose and a small key fell into his hand. "I guess this must be Flame Staff we were sent to find." 

Instantly, the cave, the heat and the lava all disappeared, giving way to another grey room like the one they had been in before.

"I commend you for completing the second test," Lawrence's voice echoed off the empty walls. "Personally, you had me on the edge of my seat for a while there. I didn't think you were going to make it through this one, but now I'm glad I wasn't disappointed."

"Just cut the crap and show me to the next test!" Ash replied angrily, so angry in fact that he didn't care what kind of language he was using. "I don't need or want any of your compliments."

"My, my, aren't we getting a little testy. Very well, if you're that eager to meet your failure, who am I to stand in your way? Just use the key, dear boy. It'll take you directly to the next test."

As Ash turned the key and opened the door, he said, "Whatever he's got in store for us, we'll be it together, right Pikachu?"

Pikachu nodded, determined to follow Ash into hell if need be.

Above, Lawrence watched them through a hidden camera. "We'll just see about that, Ash. We'll just see about that."

  
  
  
  


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Well, this is just as much a surprise to me as I'm sure it must be to you folks. I actually managed to get another chapter finished and put up! Will wonders never cease! Anyway, finishing this chapter means I've actually reached the halfway point of this 'fic. (You heard right, she's half done.) Maybe that'll inspire me bring out a chapter more than once every three months. Or maybe not. I guess we'll just have to see.

Thanks again to Alicia, for her input and suggestions on this chapter, and to all the readers who haven't (yet) given up on this 'fic and are still reading it. I kiss the ground you walk on.

  
  


Kasumi Todoh

  
  


^_^


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